Tag Archives: Josh Brown

Abby Burlingame, Republican candidate for Central Kitsap County
Commissioner, announced Friday that she will join the forum
scheduled to tape Monday, Aug. 2, at the BKAT studio.
Burlingame had indicated earlier she would not attend but said in
an e-mail on Friday that she was canceling a Monday fundraiser in
order to attend.
“I am the only woman running and I think that is a needed
perspective during this televised forum,” Burlingame wrote in an
e-mail to forum organizer Ann Smith. “I hope this is not a problem
and I will see you Monday evening.”
Burlingame is one of three candidates challenging incumbent
Commissioner Josh Brown, a Democrat, for the position.
The other two are David Corley, a Republican, and Wally Carlson, a
Conservative Democrat.
If you have questions for any of the candidates, please post them
as comments on this blog by Sunday night (Aug. 1).
The forum will not be open to the public because of space
limitations but will be televised later. Air dates are as
follows:

The League will hold another candidate forum, for Central Kitsap
Commissioner candidates, on Aug. 2.
It will be held in the BKAT studio and will not be open to the
public because of space limitations but will air later on
television.
We would like your help in developing questions for incumbent
Commissioner Josh Brown, a Democrat, and challenger David Corley, a
Republican, and Wally Carlson, who lists himself as preferring the
“Conservative Dem Party” in the Primary Local Voters’ Pamphlet
published by Kitsap County. They are the candidates who have
indicated they will participate.

Abby Burlingame, a Republican, is also a candidate for the CK
commissioner position in the Aug. 17 primary.

Please post your questions as comments on this blog or e-mail
them to Ann Smith, forum organizer, at smith9797@wavecable.com.
Please put Forum Questions in the subject line.
We’ll hold more forums in advance of the November general
election.
We appreciate your help.

Tuesday’s public meeting and lunch with the county commissioners
drew a lively crowd of about 75 to Country Meadows Red Barn in
Silverdale.
Commissioners Charlotte Garrido and Josh Brown fielded questions on
everything from park closures to raising county revenues.
Commissioner Steve Bauer could not attend because he was in
Washington, D.C., representing the county with the Navy League.
Lisa Ballou and other members of the Kitsap Tribabes were there to
protest the planned summer closures of Horseshoe Lake in South
Kitsap and Wildcat Lake in Central Kitsap, where the group usually
trains for triathlons.
Brown, who represents CK, said the county faced a severe budget
crisis and that closing the two parks was a revenue saver since
they are expensive to maintain and do not make money.
Garrido held up an oversize dollar bill to show what portion of the
property tax dollar goes to the county. It showed just 9.5 cents
going to the county general fund. Another 13.3 cents goes to county
roads, while the bulk of the rest goes to the state general fund,
local schools and fire districts.
The commissioners said that 70 percent of their $82.7 million
operating budget for 2010 goes for law and justice services. Parks,
while a treasured resource, are “discretionary,” meaning they are
not a legally mandated county service.
“Some of the best things we do as a county are discretionary,”
Brown said.
The county has already laid off staff, cut staff hours and closed
the county administration building on Fridays to save money. Last
year the deficit grew from $1.8 million to $5.9 million causing a
major midyear budget reduction that remains in effect this
year.
It’s not easy for the county to raise revenues, Brown said. He has
recently lobbied in Olympia with other county officials for the
counties to have more flexibility in raising and spending a small
portion of sales tax. Currently counties may raise sales tax by 1
tenth of 1 percent for mental health services. While our local
legislators are sensitive to Kitsap County needs, the Legislature
as a whole is so caught up in the state budget crisis that it
hasn’t paid much attention to county concerns, Brown said.
Despite all the gloom, the commissioners did see some rays of hope
for the future. Brown said the new YMCA to be built in CK should be
a successful public-private partnership. One day he hopes to see
satellite Ys in North and South Kitsap.
Garrido noted that the county will be spending $2.3 million in
stimulus funds for energy upgrades including replacing single-pane
windows in the old county courthouse building.
The event was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Kitsap.
Next month, on March 23, the League will hold a lunch and public
meeting on health care from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Silverdale
Beach Hotel. For information call 360-598-3508.

Commissioner Josh Brown listens
to concerns during the League meeting Tuesday.Commissioner Charlotte Garrido
displays an oversize bill to show that only 9.5 cents of the
property tax dollar goes to the county general fund.